With his sidekick the Selle Français, the Anglo-Arab is one of the most important French sport horses. With physical characteristics similar to those of the Thoroughbred Arabian and the English Thoroughbred, the Anglo-Arab is an excellent horse that performs well in eventing, show jumping and dressage. Want to know more about the Anglo-Arab? Follow the leader !
Breed History
Originally from the south-west of France, the Anglo-Arab is a breed resulting from the cross between the English Thoroughbred for its speed, the Arabian Thoroughbred for the quality of its blood and native mares. Created during the second half of the 19th century in Limousin and around Tarbes and Pau, the Anglo-Arab has evolved a lot thanks to a strict selection policy led by the French National Stud Farms.
Originally designed for military purposes, the Anglo-Arab then evolved on racetracks and in the luxury sector before being oriented towards the sports field during the 20th century. He also brought his blood to many races such as the KWPN and the Oldenburg to bring them his elegance and vigor.
Physical peculiarities
His head: the head of the Anglo-Arab is especially similar to that of the English Thoroughbred. She is slender with a rather straight muzzle and mobile ears.
Its neckline: the neckline is long.
His body: the back is short and powerful with a prominent withers. The chest is deep and the croup is long and well proportioned.
Its limbs: the limbs are long, thin, lean and muscular.
His coat: all simple coats are accepted although the Anglo-Arab is often bay, chestnut or gray. White marks are common, with no size limitation.
His hair: the hair of the Anglo-Arab is fine.
His gaits: the gaits of the Anglo-Arab are flexible, extended and balanced. His gallop is distinguished. The locomotion of this horse is generally very good.
Use
Thanks to the physical qualities borrowed from the Thoroughbred Arabian and the English Thoroughbred, such as endurance and speed, the Anglo-Arab is an excellent eventing horse. His formidable jump shot also allows him to shine in CSO. Adapted to dressage, it cannot however compete with the gaits and the morphology of the large horses originating from Northern Europe.
Thanks to his Arab blood and his very sure foot, he is also a good endurance and outdoor horse. The Anglo-Arabs are also present in the world of flat and obstacle races. Several of them confront the Thoroughbreds with brio.
Famous Anglo-Arab horses
Many Anglo-Arabs have performed in CSO in major competitions, like Ali Baba who was Olympic CSO champion in 1952 with Pierre Jonquères d’Oriola. Flambeau C also participated in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul with Frédéric Cottier where he won the bronze medal as a team.
Many days are dedicated to these high-class horses, such as the National 3-year-old stallion or the French Model and Gait Championship for the Anglo-Arab breed.
Prisme is also a well-known Anglo-Arabian stallion, having given birth to more than 50 stallions of the breed.
Breeding
Originally from the south-west of France, it is still bred there en masse. Although present throughout France, it remains traditionally bred in Aquitaine, Limousin and Midi-Pyrénées. It is also present internationally and in particular in Spain, Switzerland, Poland and Morocco.
Created in 1833, the Anglo-Arab Stud-Book distinguishes several types of horses according to the degree of Arab blood they contain. One can thus quote the Anglo-Arab (AA with 25% of Arab blood at least) and the Anglo-Arab of complement (AC with 12,5 to 25% of Arab blood). There is also the Anglo-Arab Crossbreed (AACR) and the Half-Blood Anglo-Arab (DSAA) which are considered as AQPS and which are therefore not included in the breed’s Stud-Book.
